Marlow Half Marathon (1st November 2009)
The stress placed upon the body during training, as well as the physical stress on the day of the event is huge. It is essential that a period of recovery is planned in for the week post event, this allows for the physical depletion and the muscular damage in the body to start to repair and reduce the likelihood of an injury occurring.
Immediately after you cross the finish line you will probably just want to stop moving and not take another step. Having a walk/jog around and a small stretch at the end of the run will have huge benefits for the short and medium term.
You should allow about one day of recovery for every mile that you have raced. This does not mean that you should stop running during this period, but reduce the intensity and duration of the runs. This period may be a good time to do some cross training (cycling, swimming etc).
Patience during this period means that getting back into your training programme will be both progressive and safe. Stretching on a daily basis and having a massage during this week will also be of a great benefit.
By increasing the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluids throughout the body’s soft tissues, a sports massage can speed up this recovery process.
The massage, much like a good cool-down, significantly assists with the faster and more complete removal of waste products and helps supply the tissues with a fresh supply of oxygen and essential nutrients to aid recovery and repair any muscle damage.
In addition, it assists in the relaxation of muscle fibres, reducing tension that could overload the muscles, tendons and ligaments and possibly result in more serious injuries (ruptures, stress fractures etc).
If you would like to ask any questions on this or any other topics about running or sport in general, please feel free to call the Drummond Clinic / Sportsfeet UK on 0871 221 9394.